A tiny dilapidated garage in Chelsea has sold for £550,000 after it was snapped up by a mystery investor before it had a chance to be auctioned.

The ramshackle unit, located off the famously wealthy King's Road, is tucked behind a row of terraced houses and can't even be reached with a car.

But it is now the Britain's most expensive lock-up after it was snapped up by an ambitious investor.

The dilapidated old Chelsea shed (pictured) has been snapped up for £550,000 before it had a chance to go under the hammer

The shed has become the nation's most expensive lockup after selling for twice the average value of a British home

The garage, which has planning permission to be converted into an unusual two-bedroom home, sold for near its £550,000 asking price.

This is twice the average value of a home in Britain and three times the average price paid for a property in England and Wales last month.

The outbuilding is hidden behind Lamont Road in Chelsea where the average home costs £3.5 million - up £507,000 on the past 12 months and £1.1 million in the past five years.

Described as being on an 'irregular shaped, broadly level site', it has just 0.013 acres, or 538 sq/ft of land.

But planning permission was granted last year for the garage to be demolished, and replaced with a single storey plus basement dwelling.

When completed, it will have two bedrooms, one with en-suite, living room, kitchen/diner, toilet, guest shower room and patio.

Computer generated digital plans show the proposed design for the shed, which the new owner plans to turn into an unusual home

The unique new home, which sits on a site measuring 0.013 acres, will feature two bedrooms, one of which will have an ensuite

An aerial view of the back garden, where the £550,000 shed is located off the famously wealthy King's Road

It is tucked at the end of an alleyway between Lamont Road and King's Road in Chelsea, one of London's most desirable areas

It was supposed to be auctioned off today at Allsop's sale near Marble Arch - but was bought prior to the auction.

A spokesperson confirmed a price had been agreed which was close to what was asked.

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics show house prices in London have risen by more than 20 per cent in the past year.

The average London home is now worth £514,000.

Only Londoners earning more than £100,000 can afford a typical mortgage, according to The National Housing Federation.

Earlier this month a house dubbed 'Britain's smallest home' sold for more than a quarter of a million pounds.

The pint-sized property in Islington, north London, is a fifth of the size of the average new build but still crams in an open-plan kitchen, a tiny living area, a bathroom and 'bedroom'. It was sold for in the region of £270,000 and gathered interest from thousands of people

The converted flower shop is so small it measures half the size of a train carriage and a fifth the size of the average new build.

The cosy home in Islington, north London, sold for about £270,000. It has a front door underneath a suspended bed and crams in an open-plan kitchen, living area, bathroom and bedroom.

Despite the space constrictions, it received a huge amount of interest from potential buyers and 220,000 people viewed the property's advert.

Suge Knight -- who is currently behind bars for allegedly robbing a paparazzi -- says he didn't steal anything, but the people who took her camera did so in defense of Suge's small child.

Sources connected to the rap mogul tell TMZ ... the photog was filming Suge's 4-year-old son in an alley, and when one of Katt Williams' female companions asked her to stop she just kept shooting.

The photog -- who is legendary in L.A. for her confrontations with celebs and other photogs -- was confronted by Katt's friend and the 2 got into it. Katt's friend asked her to erase the video of the child but she refused.

Our Suge sources say the photog is a liar and her camera was NEVER stolen ... that she had it in her possession when cops came. The woman claims Katt snatched the camera.

Our law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... they believe Suge orchestrated the entire thing and that Katt was just following his orders. As for Katt, he told us he'd rather take the fall than sell out Suge.

The stakes are high ... Katt faces 7 years in prison if convicted. Suge could go to jail for the rest of his life.

Chris Brown is a little lighter today ... he just lost more than a $100K but in return got rid of 2 pesky lawsuits.

Sources connected to Chris tell TMZ ... the guy who Chris punched in Washington D.C. a year ago just settled his civil lawsuit against Chris. We're told the singer anted up around $100,000.

You'll recall ... Chris dodged a major bullet with the help of his lawyer Mark Geragos by striking a plea deal in the criminal case. He avoided probation, jail and fines by pleading guilty to simple assault.

As for the second case ... TMZ broke the story Chris got into an insane fight at a West Hollywood recording studio in January with Frank Ocean's posse. Frank's cousin sued Chris for $3 million. We've learned the case just settled for UNDER $20K.

2014年10月29日星期三

Playing with an iPhone, this Japanese macaque could be taking a selfie or keeping in touch with friends.

The stunning image, entitled ‘Making a Call’, was captured by photographer Suzie Tanser, who was among the winners of a wildlife competition run by Marwell Zoo in Hampshire.

The picture, which triumphed in the Cute and Funny Category, was remarkably similar to a shot taken by wildlife photographer Marsel Van Oouten, which was shortlisted for the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest this year.

Both pictures show a monkey playing with a phone at the hot springs in Jigokudani in Japan.

Is this a Japanese macaque taking a selfie or texting a friend to say come on in the water's great?